Church in Wales election farce

The Bench of Bishops. From left: Bishop June Osborne, Bishop Joanna Penberthy, Bishop John Lomas, Bishop Andy
John, Bishop Gregory Cameron and Bishop Cherry .  Source: Church in Wales

 

Following the return to work from sick leave on 1 November of the bishop of St Davids and the confirmation in Sacred Synod on 22 November of the Archdeacon of Wrexham, John Lomas, as bishop of Swansea and Brecon, the Church in Wales moves to the next scene of their ecclesiastical farce, the election of the next archbishop of Wales followed by the early retirement of the bishop of St Davids if any semblance of decency remains in the Church in Wales.

What a choice! Apart from the new bishop of Swansea and Brecon none of the candidates would normally have a chance of being elected Archbishop based on performance and beliefs. 

But this is the Church in Wales. Assuming there are no skeletons in the cupboard bishop Lomas may be the only bishop untainted by secularism. 

However, the bench are frequently quoted as being of a 'single mind' on important issues so presumably the bishops have satisfied themselves that they can count on the support of the latest addition, thus perpetuating the rot.

In October 2010 I wrote in Deception in the church: 'Ali Bari and his band are out to rob traditionalists of their heritage'. Faithful Anglicans have simply been dumped. Deprived of fellowship and spiritual wellbeing. Instead their bishops promote secular causes under the mantra, Jesus loves me. 

Around the same time WalesOnline reported: "Between 2011 and 2012, the number of adults attending Church in Wales Sunday services fell by 5%, from 33,783 to 32,171."

In 2004 the figure was 41,771. By 2018 that figure had dropped to 26,110 with a predicted extinction date for the Church in Wales around 2040.

All tarred with the same brush, the new archbishop might as well be appointed using a silver bodkin in a blindfold pricking ceremony saving the electoral college much time and money.

Red Wednesday 2021

 

#RedWednesday is the time for people of all faiths, and no faith, to come together in solidarity for Christians and others who are oppressed.

Just one of many stories form Aid to the Church in Need:

"A THREE-YEAR-OLD Christian girl in Pakistan, who was raped by the husband of her school principal, is still a long way from recovery several months on from her ordeal.

"According to the national Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP), based in Lahore, Anna was raped at the school she attended in Raiwind, Lahore – which operated out of the house of her abuser, Muhammad Saleem.

"Ms Merab Arif, Communication Coordinator of CCJP  said: 'Girls from religious minorities are at high risk of sexual violence and abuse. And not just that, early and forced marriage deprives them as well of their fundamental right to education, health, and freedom of religion'."

ACN #RedWednesday 2021 Petition

We call on the UK Government and the United Nations to take more effective steps to address the double jeopardy faced by women and girls from religious minorities in certain countries suffering sexual violence and persecution.

SIGN THE PETITION

'Women's rights' bishop to retire

Christine Hardman Bishop of Newcastle in the House of Lords                          Source: BBC News

BBC News reports that the Right Reverend Christine Hardman is to step down as Bishop of Newcastle on 30 November.

"The 70-year-old said great progress had been made in achieving equal rights for men and women in the church leadership. However, Mrs Hardman said there was still a lot of work to do to make the church more diverse.

"The church does feel like a different place now and it's not about women's rights, it's about men and women being equally represented in the leadership of the church she said." 

Equality, diversity and parity have far more to do with secular ambitions for so-called women's rights than for spreading the faith as received.

From The London Economic: "Feminist theologian Dr Niamh M. Middleton, author of new book Jesus and Women: Beyond Feminism, says that the Roman Catholic Church will lose all its female practitioners within two decades, and will become extinct within a generation, unless it takes urgent steps to address inherent gender-based discrimination.

"The Roman Catholic church will become ‘women-free’ in Britain and Ireland within 20 years and die out completely within a generation unless it reverses its “sexist and unbiblical” policy that only men can become priests and bishops, a leading academic and theologian has warned.

"Worshippers are already said to be turning their backs on Catholicism “in their droves” in response to its views on women’s rights, LGBT rights and contraception."

A review of Dr Middleton's book in The European put it this way:

'Challenging gender inequality in the Church' it 'dissects institutional sexism within the Church, and outlines how women must lead the way in restoring gender equality'.

The review continues: "Christianity is in crisis, with congregations continuing to fall away both within the Catholic and Protestant Churches. One of the main issues remains the institutional sexism found within Church hierarchies. This discrimination, which finds its apex in the Catholic Church’s prohibition of female ordination, alienates women, leading to them and their families abandoning the pews."

Feminists start from the presumption that institutional sexism exists in the Church but they use secular criteria to achieve their secular aims. It is that which puts Christianity in crisis

In the UK and abroad, where feminist principles have been allowed to influence the direction of the Church it has been downhill thereafter.  

Postscript [23.11.2021]

Pioneering Church of England woman bishop who campaigned for LGBT rights to retire

No change there then! The complete feminist package. They should be campaigning for Christ not using His name to advance their secular cause.

Dean of Llandaff returns fire on "bullying" bishop

Clergy school impression of Bp June with Peggy 'the pilot', Barry's enforcer               Dean Capon welcomed by Abp Barry Morgan Source: Welsh Icons News

 

Press Reader report of Western Mail article by Martin Shipton, Political editor at large:

"THE Dean of Llandaff has made a formal complaint of bullying against his Bishop, accusing her of wanting to force him out of his post.

It is understood that while it has reservations about the Dean’s allegations, a Church in Wales preliminary inquiry has decided that the Bishop, Rt Rev June Osborne, has a case to answer.

The Very Rev Gerwyn Capon, who was appointed Dean in 2014 by the current Bishop’s predecessor, Dr Barry Morgan, submitted a 31-page complaint about Bishop Osborne to the Church last year.

In it, the Dean alleges that after Bishop Osborne took up her post in 2017, she quickly made it clear that she had no confidence in him, stating that she believed allegations relating to the running of an organ appeal.

These allegations had been investigated by the then Archbishop of Wales, Dr Barry Morgan, in conjunction with the Charity Commission shortly before Dr Capon had been appointed Dean. The conclusion of the inquiry was that the allegations were unfounded. Dr Capon subsequently reviewed the allegations and came to the same conclusion.

Earlier this month we reported how the Chapter [ruling body] of Llandaff Cathedral had just published on its website claims that the Dean had misspent more than £30,000. The allegations were included in Llandaff Cathedral’s annual report and financial statements for the year 2020. In fact an earlier inquiry which reported in October 2020 had concluded that the Dean was innocent of such allegations.

In a statement, the Dean alleged: “I had been in post for a number of years before the new Bishop arrived in 2017 since when she subjected me to an atmosphere which has felt increasingly unsafe and threatening.”

He went on to claim that by April 2020 he was exhibiting signs of stress and had subsequently been diagnosed with clinical depression.

The Dean alleged: “Immediately upon being diagnosed with work-related stress in May 2020, the Bishop took the opportunity to visit me whilst on sick leave to threaten me further into resignation.

'It was then that I decided to invoke the complaints procedure set out in the Constitution of the Church in Wales, through which appeal may be made to the Archbishop.

'Once I submitted my complaint against Bishop June Osborne for bullying me, the then Archbishop of Wales referred the matter to the Provincial Disciplinary Tribunal.

'No sooner had the Archbishop acknowledged receipt of my complaint than I received notice that I myself was being referred by the Bishop of Llandaff to the Disciplinary Panel following a complaint she had received from the Cathedral Chapter.

'This concerned questions they raised which related to expenditure at the Cathedral.'

The Dean stated that while still on sick leave, he was required to appear before the Committee of the Disciplinary Tribunal to respond to the allegations.

He said: 'The Tribunal Committee found I had no case to answer and exonerated me.

'I have tithed my stipend back to the Cathedral since my arrival in post – between 2016 and 2019, I have, with gift aid, given the Cathedral over £19,000.

'Painting me therefore as a thief is personally wounding and untrue.

'Yet despite the decision of the tribunal committee, I soon afterward received documentary evidence that a member of the Chapter, disappointed by the result, wrote to the Bishop to say that there is ‘more than one way to skin a cat'.'

The expression appears in an email sent by the then Archdeacon of Llandaff, the Venerable Peggy Jackson. She retired in July this year.

Prior to publication we put the contents of that email to the Church in Wales and the Bishop, but we have not received a response.

The Dean said that in October 2020 he was invited to submit details of his complaint against the Bishop of Llandaff.

The preliminary adjudication confirmed in May 2021 that, on the balance of probability, Bishop June Osborne has a case to answer.

It went on to recommend mediation between the Bishop and the Dean, but he claimed that had not proven fruitful, alleging: 'Rather, it seems clear to me that my refusal to drop my complaint has now led to the Cathedral Chapter rehearsing allegations that have already been dealt with and where I have been found to have no case to answer.'

The Dean said he was calling on the Church authorities to abide by their anti-bullying and harassment stance and address what he described as “unacceptable leadership behaviours”.

It is understood the Dean’s formal complaint against the Bishop was assessed by James Davenport, the diocesan registrar for Swansea and Brecon, who determined the Dean’s complaint should be examined at a full hearing.

Neither the Church in Wales nor the Bishop of Llandaff wished to comment."

What a sorry state the Church in Wales finds itself in with their secular leaning bishops. 

The bishop of St Davids is carrying on in disgrace hoping all will be forgotten. The bishop of Monmouth along with the bishops of St Davids and Llandaff actively promote their LGBT agendas. The bishop St Asaph leads his flock astray with his own 'contextualized' interpretation of the Bible while the divorced and re-married bishop of Bangor sits back awaiting his Buggins' turn elevation to archbishop because there is no obvious spiritual merit among the bench of bishops on which to judge the suitability of any one of them.

Postscript [26.11.2021]

Bishop Osborne has ‘case to answer’ over Dean of Llandaff, panel finds  

"A DISCIPLINARY committee of the Church in Wales has found a case to answer over allegations of bullying and harassment brought against the Bishop of Llandaff, the Rt Revd June Osborne, by the Dean, the Very Revd Gerwyn Capon."

"The 'look and smell' of a traditional wedding"

 

"Fabiano Da Silva Duarte, left, and Father Lee Taylor were blessed by the Bishop of St Asaph"                                                                                   Source: BBC

From BBC News: "Father Lee and his partner Fabiano Da Silva Duarte have become what is thought to be the first same-sex couple to be officially blessed by the Church in Wales." 

Unofficially a former archbishop is rumoured to have performed at least one same-sex blessing for one of his diocesan clergy and same-sex partner.

Commenting on the official "landmark" blessing delivered by the bishop of St Asaph, bartender-turned-vicar Father Lee Taylor said with a choir, bell ringers and family and friends attending, the ceremony had the "look and smell" of a traditional wedding.

No surprise there, especially given that the Welsh bishops regard the new service merely as a stepping-stone to gay marriage in Church.

So why is the bench hell-bent on pursuing a policy that puts them at odds with the Church of England in particular and the wider Anglican Church in general, risking suspension from the Anglican Communion?

Having lost all credibility and most of its membership, perhaps the bishops have calculated that by becoming the queer Church in Wales they can avoid its predicted collapse and save themselves from the ranks of the unemployed.

In doing so the bench of bishops claim to be caring for the 'unloved and rejected' which is clearly a nonsense. 

They show no regard whatsoever for others who fit bishop Cameron's description of "real disciples of Jesus Christ...vulnerable, fragile human beings" whom the bishops have chosen to leave without any of the pastoral care they lavish on those who worship under the LGBTQ+ banner.

Remembrance Sunday 2021

Lest we forget

 

For the Fallen

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

Help needed for a new church on the Angle Peninsula

A request for help from Bishop Andy Lines.

Following the recent change in the doctrine of the prayer book of the Church in Wales [The big lie], Rev Josh Maynard handed in his resignation to the Church in Wales and is currently working out his notice. Josh and his family – his wife Rachel and three children – will be moving out of the vicarage in January.

Hat tip to Anglican Unscripted for this story.

Postscript [11.11.2021]

Vision Statement for the Wellspring Anglican Church

Bishop elect is introduced

The senior bishop of the Church in Wales, Andy John, introduces the Archdeacon of Wrexham, John Lomas, who has been chosen as the 10th Bishop of Swansea and Brecon. 

From Church in Wales Provincial news: Archdeacon John’s appointment is to be confirmed at Sacred Synod on the 22nd November 2021at St Giles’ Church, Wrexham. His consecration as Bishop is likely to take place at the Archbishop's Cathedral. The date of consecration and the location of the event will be confirmed when a new Archbishop has been elected.

Road to renewal?

Bishop elect of Swansea & Brecon, John Lomas            Source: Church in Wales

The Church in Wales has announced that the Archdeacon of Wrexham, John Lomas, has been chosen as the 10th Bishop of Swansea and Brecon. 

Llandaff revisited

The Archbishop, the Deanery, the  Archdeacon of Llandaff and a can of worms.

Saturday, 4 October 2014, Church in Wales: The Llandaff dimension. 

That entry attracted 83 comments. In November 2013 Morgan's organ had attracted 66 comments. A month later in First things first! when I listed the 'All time' top 10 posts I wrote:

" When I started this blog I had no idea where it would lead but four years later of the 677 entries the most hits have, with a couple of exceptions, centred on the tribulations of the Church of Wales and the Diocese of Llandaff in particular. 

The publication of the Llandaff Cathedral Annual Report and Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2020 has caused a similar reaction with many comments already posted under the previous entry. In particular in response to the revelation on page 22 under Related party transactions and trustees' remuneration, expenses and benefits:

"The trustees are required under section 8(5) of The Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008
to prepare the statement of accounts in accordance with the Charities SORP, which requires trustees to
disclose certain information about the remuneration and other benefits received by trustees. The
Charities SORP states that all transactions with a trustee must be regarded as material regardless of
size.

"As to remuneration, none of the trustees received any remuneration from the charity in 2020. The Dean
and canons residentiary are ecclesiastical office holders remunerated by the Church in Wales.
The Church in Wales sets out the rules under which clergy can claim for expenses of their office. In
2020 the clergy claimed £3,211 in utility costs which they are specifically entitled to under the Church in Wales rules in respect of their office, and were reimbursed £1,065 for equipment and consumables
used in the Cathedral itself, from budgets approved by Chapter.

"In 2021, Chapter has been investigating expenditure totalling £69,350 between 2016 and 2020 of which
at least £35,551 it does not believe was approved by the trustees, as required in law. As a result of a
report commissioned by Chapter (and shared with the Charity Commission) from a Queen’s Counsel
independent of the trustees, Chapter has concluded that the following amounts were apparently
authorised by The Very Reverend Gerwyn Capon which benefited him personally, directly or indirectly,
but were not approved by the trustees of the charity:
    • for work at the Deanery (not owned or maintained by the charity), including the purchase of an
      Aga cooker and wood-burning stove: £22,173
    • Furniture, artwork and other items: £4,789
    • Entertaining, travel and other costs: £5,325

"A further £3,264 was apparently authorised by The Very Reverend Gerwyn Capon for payment to an
employee in addition to salary, without the authority of the trustees.
The QC’s report recommends that the trustees seek restitution of these amounts, and the trustees are
taking steps accordingly."

Cover up and secrecy have become far too common in the Church in Wales. The Llandaff dimension has rumbled on for years. The former bishop of Monmouth's absence and subsequent retirement have yet to be properly explained while the bishop of St Davids keeps her head down hoping everything will blow over so she can carry on where she left off.

The people are the Church not the bishops and their appointees. They need to know the truth. Instead they are treated as pew fodder to keep the bench in the style they have become accustomed too. 

It is no wonder that outside their tiny Province the Church in Wales is regarded as finished.

Postscript [05.11.2021]

From https://www.pressreader.com/uk/western-mail/20211104/281736977678648

The Dean's response:

"The Dean responded with a statement saying: “I am deeply shocked the Cathedral Chapter has taken a decision to defame me in this way.

“In May 2020, I was diagnosed with clinical depression and needed some time off work, whereupon the Chapter made a series of unfounded allegations against me to the bishop [Rt Rev June Osborne].

“She referred them immediately to the Disciplinary Tribunal of the Church in Wales, before which I was invited to appear in order to answer their complaints.

“The tribunal reviewed my detailed evidence and concluded there was no case to answer. I was completely exonerated.

“For Chapter now to renew them, knowing of the tribunal’s decision, is entirely malicious, and people will properly question their action.

“Needless to say, I refute the allegations completely, and refer, again, to the decision of the Church in Wales Tribunal who rejected them at the very first hurdle.

“I have written formally to the Chapter asking them to retract these defamatory remarks and remove them from the cathedral website.”

The dean shared the report of the disciplinary tribunal with the Western Mail.

It states that a committee of the tribunal met in October 2020 to consider a referral from the bishop relating to the dean.

A complaint made by Gerald Elias QC as vice-chair of the Chapter obliged the committee to decide “whether [the dean] was responsible for neglect of duties of office, or persistent carelessness or gross inefficiency in the discharge of his duties and / or that his conduct had given just cause for scandal or offence”.

The committee found no evidence of claims incurred by or authorised by the dean that were improper, but said there was a “somewhat antiquated accounting system which oversaw a lack of a proper framework for the claim and payment of expenses”.

There had been no complaints from the external auditors.

The committee concluded: “While we find that the dean might have been more proactive in addressing the difficulties that the system he inherited posed, that responsibility was not his alone and we do not find that any failings were such as to enable us to find that he has a case to answer on the basis of neglect of duties of office, or persistent carelessness or gross inefficiency in the discharge of such duties.

“Accordingly we find that the dean does not have a case to answer.”

A spokeswoman for the Church in Wales said: “The dean remains off work due to illness.

“I have checked with the Cathedral Chapter and they are not commenting further.”

The Very Rev Capon, 56, was appointed Dean of Llandaff in 2014 by the former Archbishop of Wales, Dr Barry Morgan, whose chaplain he had been.